Harry returns to London but without his family. The younger son of King Charles III will travel to London next week for a five-day visit. Contrary to earlier reports, the trip will not include his wife Meghan Markle and their two children, Archie and Lilibet. AFP sources close to the Duke of Sussex reported this, without giving official reasons for their absence during the London stop, leaving open only the possibility that the family might join him later for engagements outside the capital.

What happened

The postponement of what would have been the first trip to the UK for the whole family since 2022 may be linked to the long-running legal dispute over security. Since the couple stepped back from active royal duties in 2020 and moved to California, the British government revoked their automatic taxpayer-funded protection. Despite Harry’s repeated legal challenges in the High Court in London — the latest of which was dismissed on appeal in May 2025 — public protection is now assessed on a case-by-case basis by the government Ravec committee.

According to British media, the prince was reported to be deeply upset after authorities denied a request for official police protection made ahead of the imminent stay. Without police protection, Harry fears his family could become a target of the public and of intense paparazzi attention from the moment they arrive. That impasse, just days before the visit, appears to have put at risk the long-anticipated meeting between the children and their grandfather, King Charles III.